


Memories of the Present

by Tuxedo_Mark



Category: Back to the Future (Movies)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Reflection, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 18:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11064663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuxedo_Mark/pseuds/Tuxedo_Mark
Summary: On October 21, 2015, Marty and Jennifer tour Hill Valley and discuss what did - and didn't - come to pass.





	Memories of the Present

**Memories of the Present**

A Back to the Future Fanfic

**Written by  
Mark Moore**

  
Author's note: Hi, I originally wrote this fanfic for Future Day and posted it just before going to see the trilogy at the local theater. I'm updating it ever so slightly for inclusion here. I fixed seven errors (three of which I noticed today), and that's it. Enjoy!

Times written: Friday, August 7, 2015, 8:48 PM (EDT) - 10:23 PM; Saturday, August 8, 2015, 9:38 PM - 9:49 PM; Sunday, August 9, 2015, 6:05 PM - 6:30 PM, 7:01 PM - 9:02 PM; Saturday, September 5, 2015, 8:00 PM - 9:20 PM; Wednesday, September 9, 2015, 8:18 PM - 10:08 PM; Thursday, September 10, 2015, 4:07 PM - 4:56 PM; Monday, September 14, 2015, 9:04 PM - 10:02 PM; Saturday, September 19, 2015, 7:47 PM - 8:47 PM; Sunday, September 20, 2015, 3:38 PM - 4:29 PM; Thursday, September 24, 2015, 9:34 PM - 10:00 PM; Sunday, October 4, 2015, 5:48 PM - 8:00 PM; Thursday, October 8, 2015, 3:38 PM - 4:24 PM, 5:09 PM - 6:30 PM, 8:28 PM - 9:58 PM; Sunday, October 18, 2015, 6:00 PM - 6:22 PM, 7:35 PM - 7:59 PM; Monday, October 19, 2015, 8:58 AM - 9:34 AM; Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 3:12 PM - 3:39 PM; Update: Thursday, June 1, 2017, 10:48 AM - 11:30 AM, 11:53 AM - 11:57 AM

  
_"Worrying about the present, seeing dreams of tomorrow,_  
You wander through the city, all alone.  
Not able to do a thing for you, I can only watch.  
Whether or not you believe tomorrow will come,  
That's something you've got to choose for yourself.  
What if, just what if, you knew there wasn't any tomorrow?  
You, yes, you - just what would you do then?

 __Now might be that time.  
Get up, now time, now time for me.  
If you have any hopes left for tomorrow.  
Get up, now time, now time for me.  
The happiness that comes today is linked to tomorrow.  
Everything, everything, everything, everything starts now;  
Now time for me."

_\- Kumi Miyasato, "Tomorrow Blues", 1985_

  
**Wednesday, October 21, 2015**

  
"Jen, are you ready?!" Marty McFly called. "It's almost time!"

Jennifer Parker walked downstairs, holding a box. "Yeah, sorry!"

Marty offered a can of Rockstar Energy Drink to Jennifer.

Jennifer took the can and smiled. "Thanks."

"It's gonna be a long drive. I expect a traffic jam."

Marty held the front door open for Jennifer and then followed her outside. He locked the door and closed it.

The two of them walked over to their van. Marty unlocked the doors and started the engine remotely with his keychain.

  
It took a half-hour to get to the Hill Valley town square, due to the traffic and rain. Marty parked the van at the Texaco station, and he and Jennifer sat and waited until the rain stopped. They got out and started walking.

"Do you think we'll see anything?" Jennifer asked.

"I don't know."

"The rain stopped about when it should have."

"Yeah."

"It's different than you remember, isn't it?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah. The station isn't automated."

They walked across the street to the Hollywood IMAX theater, where the old Essex Theater used to be. Various movie posters were displayed outside, such as "Pan", "Steve Jobs", "Goosebumps", and "Jem and the Holograms".

"There's no 'Jaws 19'." Marty paused and thought for a moment. "I don't think Max Spielberg is involved in film."

"We're lucky that they stopped after 4. However, Hollywood does seem to be obsessed with sequels these days."

Marty laughed. "True."

"There's 3-D in movies."

"But no holographic 3-D projectors advertising any films."

Jennifer thought for a moment. "There's an upcoming movie based on a 1980s cartoon series that deals with holography."

"But it's so low-budget that there are no actual holograms in the film itself."

They walked over to Blast from the Past and looked through the window. There wasn't anything of interest in there. Notably, they didn't see a copy of "Grays Sports Almanac".

They walked a bit further and entered Jen's Cafe. "Beat It" by Michael Jackson was playing. Marty smiled. Jennifer had bought the fitness club after Lou died and turned it back into a cafe. She had briefly flirted with naming it Cafe 80's but decided against it.

"'80s nostalgia has been a thing since around 2002." Jennifer paused. "I just couldn't think of a way to accurately build a restaurant around it."

Marty pointed at the speaker on the wall. "Still, nice touch."

Jennifer laughed. "I knew you'd like it."

Marty looked around. "There are no video-waiters. I guess having Max Headroom-inspired recreations of Michael Jackson, Ronald Reagan, and Ayatollah Khomeini would be viewed as being in poor taste."

Jennifer looked at him. "Yeah, especially in today's climate. I wasn't doing that for you, sweetie. Besides, I've got a manager that's also a pretty good waiter. Hey, Goldie!"

Goldie Wilson III came out from behind the grill and walked over to the counter. "Hey, boss! How's your day off going?"

"Good."

"Can I get you anything?"

Marty smiled. "Yeah, I'll have the hostage special."

Goldie frowned in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Never mind him. He's got a sick sense of humor." Jennifer sat down at the counter.

Marty sat to her right. "I'll have a Pepsi - in a glass bottle."

Jennifer smiled. "Me, too."

Goldie got two glass bottles of Pepsi, sweetened with real sugar, out of the cooler and set them on the counter. Marty picked his bottle up and tried to knock the cap off against the counter.

Jennifer watched in horror. "NotthecounternotthecounterMartystopGoldiepleasehelp!"

Goldie took the bottle away from Marty and used a bottle opener to open it and Jennifer's bottle. He set Marty's bottle down in front of him.

"Thanks." Marty looked at Jennifer, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Shut up and drink, McFly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Marty and Jennifer relaxed and enjoyed their Pepsis. Goldie went back to the grill.

"There's no Pepsi Perfect."

Jennifer thought for a moment. "There was Diet Coke Plus a few years back. It had vitamins."

Marty looked around. "No arcade machines."

Jennifer shrugged. "I didn't see the point. I wouldn't have made any money off them. There are emulators and ROMs available on the Internet. You can play 'Wild Gunmen' when we get home if you want."

Marty looked at Goldie. "Goldie doesn't have a hover-conversion service."

"Not surprising, considering there aren't any flying cars or skyways. And that's a _good_ thing. The average dumbass can't drive, anyway. Who'd wanna let them fly? There would be massive casualties every day. Plus they'd be tempting targets - or weapons - for Islamic terrorists."

"Yeah, you've got a good point. No hoverboards either."

"Actually, Lexus has made one."

"Really?" Marty asked.

"Yeah. It's very primitive compared to what you described, though. It works on magnetic surfaces only." Jennifer finished her Pepsi and set the bottle on the counter. "We off?"

"Yeah." Marty finished his Pepsi and set his bottle on the counter.

The two of them stood up.

"See ya tonight, Goldie!" Jennifer called.

Goldie waved back while keeping his eyes on the grill.

Marty and Jennifer walked out of the cafe.

They walked back over to their van. On their way, they passed a USA Today vending machine and briefly looked at it.

"I remember some of the headlines that I'd read. Queen Diana was to visit Washington soon. Even if Princess Diana had lived, she wouldn't have become Queen after her divorce from Prince Charles."

"Besides, Queen Elizabeth II is still alive."

"Yeah, also, there's no female U.S. President."

Jennifer smiled. "Yet. Maybe soon."

"Slamball isn't a major sport. Players use steroids instead of bionics."

"Bionics, honestly, isn't even much of a thing yet."

"The Chicago Cubs still haven't won a World Series."

"But Miami does have a team now."

"Yeah, but the Marlins are also in the National League, so they couldn't face the Cubs in the World Series."

Jennifer shrugged. "It's a bit later than it was originally. Cubs could still win this year."

"It's looking increasingly unlikely, but we'll see."

Suddenly, a man approached them, holding a can. "Hey, couple bucks, will ya? Help save the clock tower."

Marty rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ. Not this again. Look, Terry, this shit's been going on for thirty years. I'm sick of it. We're playing a benefit concert tonight at Jen's. Half of the proceeds are going to preserve the clock tower, okay?"

"Thank you." Terry offered Marty a card. "Here's our website."

Marty took the card and shoved it in his pocket. He and Jennifer walked away.

"At least, the inflation isn't as bad. The guy originally wanted a hundred bucks, and it cost me a lot for a bottle of Pepsi Perfect."

Jennifer smiled. "That's something that I'm happy to have slept through."

"There are no thumb bandits, because we don't use our thumbprints for everything."

"There's Apple Pay."

"You're trying, Jen, and I appreciate that, but we have to face the fact that the future that we saw never arrived."

They stopped by the alley and looked inside.

Marty pointed. "Doc and I laid you there - on a stack of discarded laserdiscs."

Jennifer laughed. "Laserdiscs. I haven't seen those in a long time. It would be DVDs now, I guess, since Blu-ray's here, and even that might be replaced with some kind of 4K disc eventually."

"Or it'll go entirely digital."

"Oh, please, God, no. I need to own a physical copy of a movie or a TV series or a video game."

They arrived at the van. A car sped by and splashed water on Marty.

"Oh, shit! God, I wish I had self-drying clothes!"

"Don't worry about it. You can change later." Jennifer looked down. "Tie your shoelaces."

Marty looked down, sighed, crouched down, and tied his Nikes. "And power laces."

"So are we done here?" Jennifer asked.

Marty stood up. "Yeah, it looks that way. I think we need to fill up on gas, though, because, y'know, we still use gas."

"There are hybrid cars."

"They're not the same things as fusion-powered cars that run on garbage. Jen, I love you, but please stop."

  
Marty and Jennifer walked along the path in Oak Park Cemetery. Jennifer held the box in her hands.

They soon arrived at their destination. They looked down at the gravestone for a while. It had been a year since Doc Brown died. Marty and Jennifer kneeled down. Jennifer opened the box. Inside were a wreath and a candle. She set the wreath against the gravestone and set the candle in front of it.

"Damn, I forgot the matches."

"I have a book."

Jennifer and Marty turned around. Clara Clayton Brown, Jules Brown, and Verne Brown walked over to them. Verne was holding a candle. Clara took a book of matches out of her front-right jeans pocket and offered it to Jennifer.

Jennifer took the book. "Thanks, Clara."

Clara and her sons kneeled in front of the gravestone. Verne set the candle down. Jennifer took a match and struck it. She lit her candle and passed the match to Clara, who lit her own candle. Clara blew out the match. Jennifer gave the book back to Clara, who put it back in her pocket. The five of them crossed themselves and prayed silently. Finally, they crossed themselves again, stood up, and wiped the dirt from their jeans.

Clara started crying. "I can't believe he's been gone for a year. He should be here today."

Jennifer hugged Clara. Clara hugged her back.

"How have you been doing?" Jennifer asked.

"Okay, I suppose. The boys - men - are doing brilliant work. Emmett would be so proud of them."

Jennifer smiled. "He was already seeing the beginnings of it as the end came. He was proud, Clara."

Clara smiled. "Thanks, Jennifer."

They released each other.

"How's the lawsuit coming?" Jennifer asked.

Clara sighed. "Slow. My lawyer's doing everything that he can, but..."

"I don't get it. Biff was drunk. It should be an open-and-shut case."

"Biff played the age card. He's saying the accident was Emmett's fault."

Marty sighed. "So much for a swift justice system."

Jennifer briefly looked at Marty and then back at Clara. "Wanna come by the cafe later? We're having a benefit concert for the Hill Valley Preservation Society...apparently."

"Sure."

"Jen, speaking of, we oughta head back to the cafe and set up."

Jennifer looked at Marty. "Yeah, okay."

  
While Marty changed his clothes in the cafe's restroom, Jennifer set up their gear on the stage, pausing sometimes to pose for selfies with fans and sign autographs.

Marty exited the restroom and got on the stage. "How's it coming?"

"Good." Jennifer looked at Marty. "I'm never going to get used to this post-fame celebrity. The band's been broken up for seven years."

Marty smiled at her. "Once a Pinhead, always a Pinhead."

Jennifer stared at him. "Are you seriously wearing your pants inside-out?"

"Hey, this is going to be a fashion trend, even if I have to start it myself."

Jennifer folded her arms over her chest. "You look like a jackass."

"Don't you mean a butthead?"

Jennifer laughed. "Okay, we're about ready."

Marty looked out at their audience. "Oh, shit. Terry's here. Now, we'll _have_ to cut him in."

"Got it covered."

Goldie walked over to Terry and pointed at the window. Terry looked. Officers Reese and Foley were inspecting his car. Officer Reese was writing a citation. Terry stood up, ran outside, and started arguing with the officers. Goldie walked back behind the counter, giving Jennifer a thumbs-up on the way. Jennifer gave him a thumbs-up.

Marty smiled. "What did you do?"

Jennifer smiled. "I had Goldie spray-paint his back window with obscene graffitti and then report it."

Marty stared at her in shock and then started laughing.

Jennifer laughed. "I be a genius." She took a sip of water from a bottle. "Okay, let's do this."

The two of them picked up their guitars and turned on their microphones.

Jennifer smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out tonight. Let's rock!"

Marty and Jennifer's set list included "The Power of Love", "The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)", "Earth Angel", "Johnny B. Goode", "Back in Time", "Papa Loves Mambo", and "Doubleback". The audience cheered and applauded after each song and gave Marty and Jennifer a standing ovation at the end.

The two of them hung out for a while after the concert to pose for selfies and sign autographs.

Clara walked over to them and smiled. "You two were great! I'm really glad that I came. It really boosted my spirits."

Jennifer hugged Clara, and Clara hugged Jennifer. Then Clara took out her cell phone, and Marty and Jennifer posed for a selfie with her. So did Jules and Verne. Clara and her sons then went home.

George and Lorraine walked over to Marty and Jennifer and praised them.

"Hey, Dad, is something wrong with your back?" Marty asked.

George stretched a bit. "I hurt it out on the golf course. It's not serious."

"Do the two of you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Marty offered.

Lorraine smiled. "Sure. We'll follow you after we pay our bill."

"Okay, Jen and I are gonna pack up our gear and then head out."

  
Jennifer closed the back door of the van and got into the passenger seat. She closed the door, locked it, and fastened her seatbelt.

Marty started the engine and started driving back to Hilldale.

Jennifer suddenly thought of something and looked at Marty. "Do we have anything in the fridge?"

Marty realized they didn't. "Oh, I'm such a butthead! Jen, - "

"On it." Jennifer took out her iPhone and made a call.

"Pizza Hut. May I take your order?"

"Two large Primo Meat pan pizzas, creamy garlic pamesan sauce, cheese, extra pepperoni, sausage, salami, pork, red onions, and Mediterranean black olives, add buffalo sauce, salted pretzel crust edge. Deliver to 3793 Oakhurst Street in Hilldale."

"That's too many toppings."

"Do it anyway."

  
Marty had difficulty unlocking the front door.

Jennifer smiled in amusement. "A thumb plate sounds pretty good right about now."

Marty wasn't amused. "Hey, I got this, all right?"

Jennifer laughed. "Fuck you. You know I'm right."

Marty finally unlocked the front door and opened it. He walked into the living room, followed by Jennifer. Jennifer turned on the light and closed and locked the front door.

Jennifer walked over to the couch, sat down, and leaned back. "I hope your parents aren't fast drivers. I could use a bit of a rest."

"Me, too. I'm gonna head into the den and goof off on the 'Net." Marty walked away.

Jennifer laughed in amusement and mindlessly stared at the ceiling for a while.

The doorbell rang.

Jennifer groaned, stood up, walked over to the front door, looked through the peephole, and unlocked and opened the door.

A Pizza Hut delivery boy was standing there, holding two boxes. "Two Primo Meat pan pizzas?"

"Yeah."

"That'll be $42.14."

Jennifer took out her iPhone. "Do you accept Apple Pay?"

"No."

Jennifer sighed, pocketed her iPhone, took out her wallet, and gave him a $50 bill. "Keep the change."

The boy smiled, took the bill, and offered her the boxes. "Thank you, ma'am. Have a good night."

Jennifer took the boxes. "Good night."

When the boy left, Jennifer closed and locked the front door, walked into the kitchen, turned on the light, set the boxes on the table, set the table, and headed to the den. She peaked inside.

Marty was playing "Guild Wars 2" on the television.

"Pizzas are here. Your parents should be here shortly."

"Okay." Marty exited his game, stood up, and walked into the kitchen.

Jennifer suddenly heard a noise in the closet. Wary, she walked over and paused for a moment, hesitating. Then she quickly opened the closet door.

Two cats meowed at her and ran out.

Jennifer smiled. "Marty, Junior. Marlene. I was wondering where you were. I bet you're hungry. Want some om-nom? Yeah? C'mon."

Jennifer walked to the kitchen, and the cats followed her.

Upon entering the kitchen, Jennifer got some cat food out of the pantry. "Our kids are hungry."

Marty chuckled.

Jennifer poured the food into the two bowls on the floor, and the cats ran to them and happily started eating.

There was a knock at the back door. Jennifer walked over, looked through the peephole, and unlocked and opened the door.

Lorraine and George walked inside.

George sniffed. "Mmmm, pizzas smell good."

Jennifer closed and locked the door.

Lorraine looked at Jennifer. "I'm sorry that we didn't use the front door. I had George drive around back. This neighborhood makes me nervous at night."

Jennifer smiled slyly. "It's okay, Lorraine. I'm a back-door girl myself."

Marty looked at her in surprise. Jennifer seductively ran her tongue along her lower lip. Marty chuckled and shook his head.

"Anyone want anything to drink?" Jennifer asked, walking over to the refrigerator. She opened it and looked inside. "We've got Pepsi, Rockstar, beer, Smirnoff Ice, and club soda."

The others agreed on Pepsi, so Jennifer got four bottles of regular Pepsi out of the refrigerator and brought them over to the table. She set them down.

The four of them sat down at the table. Jennifer opened the pizza boxes. They each took a slice and started eating.

Lorraine chewed her piece of pizza and swallowed. "Mmmm, this is some good pizza."

Jennifer smiled. "Yeah, I love the unique taste of different kinds of meat in my mouth at the same time."

Marty nearly spat out his Pepsi. Jennifer laughed.

"Jen, do you ever regret not having kids?" Marty asked.

Jennifer stopped drinking her Pepsi in mid-gulp. "What?"

Lorraine looked at Marty. "That's a strange question. What brought this on?"

"Well, Jen and I were talking earlier today about how things turned out differently than we expected. I was just curious if she ever regretted...what might have been...if she'd wanted kids."

Jennifer felt a bit angry. "Not really. I think about it sometimes, but I made the decision long ago that focusing on myself and my career would yield the best outcome." She looked directly at Marty. "And you proposed anyway, so you must have agreed with me."

"Are you two fighting?" Lorraine asked.

Jennifer realized what was happening. "No." She stared at Marty.

Marty caught on. "Right. We're not fighting. I'm sorry. I think we can agree it's for the best that certain things didn't - and won't - happen."

Jennifer nodded. "Agreed."

They finished their dinner. Marty saw his parents off while Jennifer put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator and cleaned up.

Then Marty and Jennifer headed for the den and stopped in the living room for a moment.

The two of them looked at their wedding photo. They had been married in St. Cecelia Catholic Church on November 22, 1989. They wore Armani. Marty's parents, Jennifer's father, Dave, and Linda were also in the photo.

Jennifer smiled. "Our wedding turned out better than it originally did."

Marty smiled. "Yeah."

The two of them walked into the den.

Marty sat in his chair and started up "Guild Wars 2" again.

Jennifer smiled in amusement. "I won't be able to pry you away from here when 'Heart of Thorns' releases in two days, will I?"

Marty chuckled. "Got that right."

"But you're still taking me to see 'Jem and the Holograms', right?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you want anything to drink?" Jennifer asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"'Please.'"

"Please."

Jennifer went to the kitchen and got two bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon and two bottles of Smirnoff Ice out of the refrigerator. She got the bottle opener out of a drawer and headed back to the den.

She entered the den and set the bottles down on a small table. She went into the bathroom and took a piss.

As she was drying her hands, she heard a Skype call come in. She held back and watched from inside as Marty exited his game and answered the call. Douglas J. Needles appeared on the screen.

Needles grinned. "He-hey, the Big M. How's it hanging, McFly?"

"Hey, Needles."

"Needles?" Jennifer suddenly got very interested.

"I have a proposal for you."

Jennifer breathed heavily as she considered intervening.

"Oh?" Marty asked.

"Lauren Anne, Roberta, Amy, and I are throwing a Halloween party. You and Jennifer are invited to come."

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief, exited the bathroom, and sat in Marty's lap. "We'd be delighted, Needles. Thank you."

"Great. I'll see you on the 31st. 6:00 PM."

Jennifer smiled. "We'll be there."

Needles ended the call.

Jennifer smiled. "Sure beats using a video telephone."

Marty sighed. "Why'd you do that, Jen? You know that asshole nearly caused me to wreck my truck thirty years ago."

Jennifer smiled. "That asshole is the closest thing that you have to a guy friend, Marty. Besides, you do realize what didn't happen just now, right?"

Marty thought about it and smiled. "I didn't get fired!"

"Bingo." Jennifer offered a bottle of Smirnoff Ice and a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon to Marty.

Marty took the bottles. "What should we dress up as for Halloween?"

Jennifer thought about it as she opened her bottle of Smirnoff Ice. "You could go as a werewolf."

Marty chuckled as he struggled to open his bottle. "A werewolf? That so isn't me."

"Hey, I made you howl last night." Jennifer took a gulp of her drink.

Marty kept trying to twist off the cap. "You're exagerating."

Jennifer moved her lips to within an inch of his. "If you want, I can give you a complete blow...by...blow." She opened Marty's drink with the bottle opener. "Pop."

Marty took a moment to catch his breath. "Uh, well, if I'm going as a werewolf, then maybe you can go as Supergirl, y'know, with the series premiering in five days."

Jennifer laughed. "I can't imagine myself as a blonde. Maybe I'll go as a succubus - emphasis on 'suck'." To emphasis her point, she put her lips to her bottle and gulped down the rest of her Smirnoff Ice.

Marty rolled his eyes. "Jen, you're 47."

"Is the new 27." Jennifer opened her bottle of beer and took a gulp. "Fine, I'll go as Supergirl. Even though I still look nice, even I can admit I'm not as hot as I'd originally seen myself. At least, my hair hasn't greyed out yet. And you look a hell of a lot better."

Marty took out his iPhone and checked the time. "It's almost over. This is about when we went back to 1985."

"Marty, we never showed up here."

"Right. How come?"

Jennifer shrugged and took a folded-up sheet of paper out of her vest pocket. She unfolded it and stared at it. "Maybe...it never happened."

"But we remember it."

Jennifer continued staring at the sheet of paper, blank except for the CusCo company name, logo, and address. "You remember your past. I remember mine. They can't both be true. I remember picking up this sheet of paper in our bathroom in the future - the _present_. Now, I'm holding a blank sheet of paper that didn't print out of a fax machine that we don't own. What the fuck does _that_ tell you? Memories mean nothing."

Marty looked on the fireplace mantle and saw a photograph of himself and Doc Brown, standing in front of Hill Valley's new clock. It was dated September 5, 1885.

"You're wrong, Jen. Memories mean a great deal. If nothing else, at least we have them."

Jennifer smiled. "I'm glad that you finally realize that."

Marty laughed at Jennifer's trickery. "So...the big question: what happened?"

Jennifer took a gulp of her beer. "We did."

Marty stared at her, confused.

Jennifer tried to think of the best way to word her thoughts. "It's the little things. When we - and Doc and everyone else - arrived back in 1985, we altered the timeline. We started doing things that, little by little, set people off their original path, who set other people off _their_ original path, and so on, eventually altering the entire planet. I believe it's called the butterfly effect."

"But I prevented my parents' first meeting but still managed to repair the damage and ensure my own birth."

Jennifer smiled in amusement. "You were lucky."

Marty stared at her in shock as he considered this. "This is heavy."

Jennifer laughed. "Maybe we should watch something, so you can clear your head."

"Good idea. What do we have?"

Jennifer stood up, walked over to a nearby cabinet, unceremoniously crumpled up the sheet of paper, threw it in the trash can, and looked through the stack of Blu-rays. "The original 'Vampire Hunter D' with the new English dub. 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust'."

"We'll save those for Halloween."

"'Teen Wolf'."

"Movie or show?" Marty asked.

"Movie." Jennifer smiled in delight, faced Marty, and held up two Blu-rays. "Ooh, 'Adventures in Babysitting' and 'The Karate Kid'. Let's do a double feature."

"Why?"

"I like the girl. She's hot."

Marty chuckled. "Okay."

Jennifer walked over to their PlayStation 4, turned it on, opened the 'Adventures in Babysitting' case, took out the disc, and put it in the PS4. She picked up the controller, walked over to Marty, and offered it to him. "Get it set up. I'm gonna get the Halloween candy from the fridge. We can always buy more."

"Uh, Jennifer, uh,...I dunno how to tell you this." Marty took a bag of 3 Musketeers out of a nearby stand.

Jennifer laughed and sat on Marty's lap. Marty unwrapped a bar and stuck it in her mouth. She chewed it, swallowed it, and washed it down with beer.

"So...any predictions for 2045?" Jennifer asked in jest.

Marty laughed. "Hell no."

Jennifer kissed Marty passionately on the lips. "I love you."

Marty smiled. "I love you, too."

Jennifer raised her bottle of beer. "To the future."

Marty raised his bottle of beer. "To the future."

They clinked their bottles together and then settled in for a relaxing evening.

  
**The End**


End file.
